Rediscovery
by Goldilocks 92
Summary: She turned her head towards the head table, only to find the object of her previous scrutiny watching her, a small crease between his eyebrows. Her eyes met his and then her heart really did stop for a second. HG/SS
1. Chapter 1

Back Again

"This feels so strange," Hermione said as she boarded the Hogwarts express. After the war she had expected everything to be different but somehow, back where it had all started, watching all the excited, chattering children and their proud, worried parents, she felt like everyone had already forgotten the war and moved on. Nothing seemed to have changed at all. She, admittedly, also felt excitement at the prospect of once again being a student at Hogwarts, returning for her seventh year to complete her NEWTs, like many others of her old year whose educations had been hindered or disrupted during the war.

Later Hermione was sitting in a compartment with Harry, Ron, Ginny, Neville and Luna, all of whom sat in a companionable silence, looking out of the window watching the beautiful Scottish countryside pass them by. Harry and Ginny sat side by side, holding hands and leaning into each other, their positions mimicked by Neville and Luna sitting opposite them. Only Hermione and Ron were sitting apart, opposite each other. Their relationship had fizzled out after the war, finding it difficult to find things to talk about, no longer spending every waking moment thinking of and discussing ways in which to find Horcruxes and defeat Voldemort. Ron wasn't interested in the intellectual discoveries Hermione made when exploring the Ministry Library and although also suffering deeply from the many losses they had all suffered, was unwilling to discuss his emotions with Hermione, unlike Harry and Ginny who seemed to share everything with each other. Speaking of said couple, Ginny had just turned her gaze toward Harry who looked at her adoringly before placing a gentle kiss on her lips. Neville and Luna hardly noticed, they were so absorbed by each other, but Ron looked slightly green while Hermione felt a small tinge of jealousy in the pit of her stomach. She'd felt so alone lately...

`Everyone was beginning to feel more light-hearted the nearer they got to Hogwarts, they had spent the last half hour of the journey reminiscing about the times at Hogwarts before Voldemort's second rise to power, changing into their old cloaks and chasing after a chocolate frog that seemed to be more energetic and determined to reach freedom than the others, creating a rather comical tumult in the small compartment as everyone tried to be the first to catch the frog. Their cheerfulness was, however, momentarily dampened after they left the train and boarded the carriages for Hogwarts... now almost everyone could see the Thestrals, a reminder of all who had fallen that summer.

The familiar beauty, warmth and high spirits of the magically restored great hall soon revitalised their joy at being together again in such well-known, homely surroundings. Familiar faces greeted them from every table in the hall, people who had stayed and fought with them in the final battle, people they recognised from previous years at Hogwarts. Even the Slytherin table acknowledged the Golden Trio, many of them having secretly hated the Carrows during their reign of the school in the last year, despite the favouritism they were treated to. Even Draco Malfoy nodded at them, thankful that they had saved his life and perhaps even regretting past animosities. All in all, Hermione felt completely welcome in Hogwarts for the first time, without anyone sneering at her muggleborn status or doubting her due to her friendship with and loyalty to Harry. In fact, she was a hero. Younger students gazed up at her admiringly and in awe of the role she had played in defeating the Dark Lord, while those her own age were trying to get her and Ron's attention, as Harry was clearly occupied with Ginny.

After the sorting, during dinner, Hermione carefully examined the teachers' table for the first time. Professor McGonagall sat in the middle, being the proud new Headmistress, occasionally casting a satisfied glance at the crowded hall full of excited students, clearly relieved that everything had reverted to what was relatively normal. The new transfiguration professor was a kindly looking, middle-aged man who would clearly not be as strict as her predecessor, while the new defence against the dark arts professor was a younger woman who seemed rather timid to Hermione and did not spark her interest. That was until she noticed who she was talking to- Severus Snape, who had apparently chosen to remain at Hogwarts despite his status as a famous war hero. Her gaze rested on him, scrutinising, curious. Somehow he looked different to Hermione... younger, perhaps, more carefree. Then he smiled at something Professor Littleton said. Hermione was shocked; she had never seen him smile before. And it was... wonderful. Hermione felt her heart thud hard in her chest and a blush rising in her cheeks.

The spark of jealousy and strong dislike she suddenly felt for the new professor startled her out of her reverie. She laughed to herself and shook her head, feeling a bit silly, determining to no longer be surprised at Snape's transformation. He deserved it, she thought to herself. Deciding to take one more peek at him before rejoining the conversation concerning which NEWTs everyone was taking, she again turned her head towards the head table, only to find the object of her previous scrutiny watching her, a small crease between his eyebrows. Her eyes met his and then her heart really did stop for a second. She saw nothing but him and a rushing sound was filling her head. Neither looked away, both looking curiously at the other as if for the first time, forgetting completely that they were in a crowded hall...

"Oi! Hermione! What you staring at? You never told us which classes you were taking this year!" Ron poked her arm, startling her and causing her to jump. She caught Professor Snape softly shaking his head before she turned back towards the Gryffindor table.

**Please Review! I hope you enjoyed it, but how do I know whether or not you did if you don't tell me? Thank you!**


	2. Chapter 2

"What _was_ that?" Severus thought, watching as Miss Granger turned back to her friends at the Gryffindor table. He had noticed the student the moment she had entered the Great Hall, appearing slightly melancholy in contrast to the other students who were surrounding her, laughing and chattering. She looked different... perhaps older, certainly more serious. His curiosity piqued, he was just wondering exactly what she was thinking when a timid voice pulled him from his observations. And since then, there he had sat, listening to the insipid thoughts and hopes for the future of a certain Professor Littleton... the school obviously didn't believe serious defence against the dark arts lessons were still necessary, Severus thought, smiling to himself. He hadn't done that in a while... He looked towards the Gryffindor table again, only to see Miss Granger shaking her head with pretty, red colour in her cheeks. That was when she turned towards him, her eyes meeting his, her deep, brown eyes... almost the colour of chocolate, he thought. They were sucking him in, pulling him out of the irritating conversation he was in and for the first time, perhaps ever, he completely forgot his surroundings. His heart rate sped up and his hand trembled slightly... how was this possible? Hiding his emotions had been vital as a double agent, yet now all it took was a slight flush and the beautiful eyes of a student to render him speechless.

And then the stupid Weasley boy had grabbed her arm, causing her to jump and break eye contact with Severus, releasing him from her spell. He felt a surprising jolt of anger and jealousy at Weasley's actions, how dare he touch her? But when Miss Granger turned from him, Severus was already shaking his head at the emotions that had raced through him, over a student for Merlin's sake! "What _was_ that?"

Severus quickly turned back to Professor Littleton, hoping she hadn't noticed his momentary distraction, but she was still prattling on about something or other, and Severus nodded politely, trying not to sneer. He tried to dismiss what had just happened with Miss Granger, he must have imagined it, it was so unlike him to forget where he was, to physically react to a mere look from a student... but, Merlin, her eyes... and she had seemed so sad when she had come into the hall. Was she ok?

Merlin, this was preposterous! Voldemort was dead, he no longer had to care about Potter and his dunderheaded cronies, no longer had to look out for them. And he especially didn't have to think about the know it all who had always made his life so much more difficult with her intelligence, sharp eyes and insightful ideas... she wasn't a dunderhead like the others... wait, where had that come from? She was a know it all, an insufferable know it all who was just as irritating as Potter! Severus refused to look at her again for the rest of the evening, surprised at the amount of effort it took not to look at the Gryffindor table. He breathed a sigh of relief when finally, _finally, _the dinner was over and he leaped up, startling a certain new professor who seemed enamoured with the dark hero she had been sitting next to, and strode down the main aisle of the hall, his cloak billowing out behind him. He couldn't but look in her direction again and found her watching him again, her dark eyes somehow darker than they'd seemed before... Ugh! He had to snap out of it! He glowered at her for distracting him once again and left the hall, leaving the doors swinging behind him, strangely rueing the look of hurt that had flashed through her eyes at the sneer on his face directed at her. He had some serious problems...

**Please Review! It inspires me to keep writing!**


	3. Chapter 3

Hermione lay in bed, exhausted. She knew she needed to sleep, her eyes were heavy and dry. But she couldn't. Every time she closed her eyes the same face would flash before her eyes, sometimes with the soft, curious look they had shared across the dining hall, sometimes glaring at her with that typical sneer smeared across his face... she was so confused! Her heart pounded when she remembered how dark his eyes had seemed, how piercing they were, as if they had seen right through her. She had to admit to herself that this was not the first night thoughts of Severus Snape had kept her awake... ever since Harry had shared with her the tragic story of his miserable life full of unrequited loved and never ending sacrifice, Hermione had not been able to stop thinking about him. How she had misjudged him! She felt so ashamed of her previous hatred for the teacher who, despite having been prejudiced and even cruel towards her in the past, had taught her so much in her years at Hogwarts and who, she had found out, had saved her life more times than she could count.

A low groan reached her ears, another reason she couldn't sleep. Hermione cursed her fate. Why did she have to sleep in the room next to Ginny? Hermione loved her dearly, but the thought of having to listen to Ginny and Harry having sex every night for the next year was horrifying! Why couldn't they just cast the muffliato spell? She was once again reminded of her perpetually single status and again a feeling of loneliness washed over her. Although after hearing the sounds Harry made when reaching his climax she had to wonder if she was really even missing anything!

...

Severus finally gave up on sleeping. It was useless, he realised. No matter what he tried to think of to distract himself, a big pair of chocolate brown eyes would eventually rise to the forefront of his mind and would refuse to leave. They were so deep, he felt like he could get lost inside of them, and worst of all, he wasn't sure he would mind. For Merlin's sake! They were just eyes! Blasphemy, a small part of him whispered, and when the eyes would make another appearance, he couldn't help but agree.

Of course, Severus was accustomed to sleepless nights. Ever since the end of the war, nightmares of the Dark Lord rising again had plagued him, even though he knew it to be impossible. He just couldn't believe that he was finally free! But was he really? He indebted his life to someone, he just didn't know to whom. Such a debt was not freedom, surely. He kept thinking back to the end of the final battle, when he had woken up on his own in the Shrieking Shack, surrounded by blood. He had been so sure that he would die, but there he was, alive. He had felt his neck and had found that the wound had been healed, roughly and not with the dexterity Madame Pomfrey would have applied, but it had been enough to stop the bleeding and close his wound. He could also taste the remains of a bezoar in his mouth. Someone had clearly stuffed a bezoar down his throat in order to save him from Nagini's poison. Successfully, it seemed. Whoever it had been had saved his life.

Sighing, Severus heaved himself out of the bed. Sleep would clearly not come to him soon. Instead he went into his private laboratory which joined his living chambers, and opened the books he had been working on recently. He was trying to invent cures for a variety of curses the death eaters had used on their enemies during the war, many of whom were currently filling St. Mungo's. One of these curses was the worst of them all, the Cruciatus curse. Severus was determined to find a cure for the after effects the victims of a prolonged Cruciatus curse had to suffer. He felt so guilty for being the cause of the sufferings of several of the victims in St. Mungo's. He had been forced to do it; he couldn't have avoided inflicting pain if he had wanted to keep up the pretence which ultimately won the war. However, the guilt still ate away at him every day, every night. He couldn't escape from it.

But he had. Just for a short, quick moment in the dining hall that evening. His eyes had met those of Miss Granger, and his soul had felt at peace for the first time in many, many years.

...

Hermione woke up suddenly, sweating, tangled in her sheets. She was breathing heavily as she wiped the strands of hair from her eyes. Merlin, that dream had been intense. It had started as all the others had, with Hermione rushing back to the Shrieking Shack after Voldemort had fallen, trying desperately to save Severus Snape, sometimes succeeding, sometimes failing. But this time it had been different, his eyes had shot open when she reached him and suddenly he was healthy, looking younger and less pallid, just as he had seemed that evening in the dining hall. In the dream he had pulled her into his arms as soon as she had reached him and had begun covering her face with kisses while holding her so tightly to his chest, that she had felt she couldn't breathe... and she had loved it. She had gripped his collar with her hands while kissing him back fiercely, and then moved her hands into his hair, feeling the silky smoothness of it caressing her fingers. In response he had rolled her over, and had laid himself between her legs, her responsive hips grinding into him in return, causing him to moan out loud... "Harry... Harry... HARRY!"

And then Hermione had jerked awake. Harry and Ginny were clearly at it again. She would have to talk to them about it tomorrow morning, making sure to embarrass them in the process to punish them for interrupting her wonderful dream... And, Gods, it had been wonderful... For the first time in her young life, which had been too interrupted by war, Hermione felt a knot of desire deep in her stomach, the heat unfurling throughout her whole body, slowly heating her up. She should have been shocked that the cause of it was none other than Severus Snape, her teacher and twenty years her senior, but for some reason it felt only natural that it was for him.

Unfortunately, she knew nothing could come of it. There was no way he could be interested in her, a mere child, although she no longer felt like a child... All the same, Hermione was determined to get to know Severus Snape better during her last year at Hogwarts... And with that thought in her mind, Hermione Granger succumbed to sleep again, her dreams full of piercing black eyes and silky black hair.

**Every time I get a review, I grin like crazy! And then I can't wait to write the next chapter... :D**


	4. Chapter 4

Severus stood behind his desk, waiting for his seventh years to finally arrive. He was feeling slightly apprehensive about this lesson. Well, not the lesson exactly, it was a certain chocolate-eyed student of his, one who had filled his dreams when he'd finally succumbed to sleep last night, who was making him feel almost... nervous. As ridiculous as it sounded, he hadn't been able to get her out of his head since his arrival in Hogwarts. Of course he had tried... He had not glanced at her once at breakfast that morning, had deliberately looked the other way when they had passed each other in the corridors after the first lesson, he had even engaged in conversation with dull Professor Littleton in order to prevent himself from listening in on her conversation with the Weasel... and yet he was always painfully aware of her presence. How difficult would this lesson be? He could hardly not look at her, not address her, in a small NEWTs class of five students for a whole hour, could he?

He refused to look up when his students filed into the room. "Everyone sit down" he demanded, still shuffling through his papers. Then he realised that he was dangerously close to acting like a coward. Well, that just wouldn't do. He couldn't feel intimidated or nervous about a student, for Merlin's sake! He quickly lifted his eyes, determined to show all five of them who was boss. First the stupid Gryffindor Dean Thomas. "Ha!" Severus thought as Dean quickly lowered his eyes as soon as their eyes met, clearly slightly afraid, and in awe of, the war hero who had always picked on him and his friends in school. Next was Ginny Weasley. She wasn't even paying attention to him, staring dreamily into space, thinking of Potter, he assumed. Severus cleared his throat and Ginny jumped slightly before flushing a deep red. Clearly she was missing something mentally, he thought to himself. He then moved on to the two Slytherins in his class, Malfoy and Parkinson. They both smirked at him, expecting preferential treatment, with justification he thought, remembering all the times he had favoured them in the past. He glowered at them instead, causing them to look slightly surprised and affronted. Things were going to change, he had decided.

Finally, his eyes found Granger. She seemed alert and had obviously noticed what he had been doing to the other students, the small smile gracing her lips clearly the result of Draco's mildly horrified face at his favourite teacher's clear indifference to him. Once again their eyes met. Severus could see the animated intelligence that lurked there; she was clearly enjoying watching him intimidate the others. But she held steadfast. She refused to be intimidated. She held his gaze, and the challenge he could see in her eyes sent a shot of heat right down to his groin. Shit.

...

Hermione couldn't believe the way in which her body was reacting to her potions professor. Again. When he had finally looked her in the eyes, after staring down the others, she had felt a sharp twist in her belly, heat pooling there immediately. Once again her heart rate increased, causing her to almost forget her confusion... why had Snape treated Draco and Pansy the same way as Dean and Ginny? It just didn't make sense, he had never so much as glared at them before... perhaps he really had changed. Hermione tried to read the truth in his eyes, but they were impenetrable, even blacker than they seemed normally. She would break through that barrier, she was determined...

Professor Snape abruptly withdrew his gaze from her, instilling Hermione with a strange sense of loss... realising that she had just sat there, mooning over her professor who must have been wondering if she was still in possession of her full mental faculties, a warm flush spread across her cheeks and Hermione looked away from him and down at her book. If she didn't regain control of herself soon, it was going to be an awkward year...

"Right. You five are the only Gryffindors and Slytherins who were deemed... capable of studying potions at NEWT level this year. Don't take that as a compliment, I remain to be convinced that you are not all as dunderheaded as your respective colleagues." Malfoy snorted. "Yourself not excepted, Malfoy. Don't illusion yourself into thinking you're any better than the rest of the idiots of your generation." Professor Snape's lip was curled in a way that had Hermione's heart racing again... But wait a minute... had he just insulted Malfoy? Impossible. She needed to find out what was going on in this man's mind...

"Today, you can choose which potions you want to brew. I just want to see what you are capable of at this point. Don't worry, I do not expect much from any of you, it is pretty clear to me that you are all somewhat... lacking." Hermione could not help but smile at his sneering tone. She knew that she could brew most potions perfectly, and she knew that he knew it too. He just wanted to make them all feel as uncomfortable as possible. Her eyes darted towards him again, and when she saw the stern expression on his face, she couldn't help the bubble of mirth that rose within her, causing a small laugh to escape her. He quickly turned towards her, the horrified expression on his face only serving to increase her wish to burst out laughing... it took all her concentration not to explode into uncontrollable laughter, right then and there. She had no idea what was happening, why she was having this ridiculous reaction to her potion master's severity and sternness. She only knew that, while the others were frantically looking through their books, looking for a potion they could brew, she just sat there, her lips twitching, her eyes locked with Snape's.

"Does something amuse you, Granger?" Snape snarled, his lip curling again, causing something to tug at her insides.

"No. Sir" she replied, forcing a calm expression onto her face, still staring into his eyes.

"Then get working. Now!" he sneered, but still didn't break eye contact with her. Hermione thought she saw something flash in those black depths, and once again tried to work out what he was thinking, what he was feeling...

"Granger!" he snapped, shaking her out of her reverie, causing her to jump slightly. She suddenly felt like a complete idiot, and finally looked away from him, down at her text book. She knew most of these potions by heart, it shouldn't be difficult to brew one perfectly. She tried to force herself to think of potions, instead of the way a certain pair of lips were able to twist in a way that should have been grotesque but instead was oh so sexy.

...

Finally, finally, the Granger girl looked down at her book, releasing Severus from her penetrating, curious and laughing gaze. His heart rate began to slow again... had she been laughing at him? She had been clearly, and barely, suppressing laughter, but he had not felt under attack by it. No, it had almost been infectious! The mirth in her eyes, and the twitching of those beautiful, sensual lips had caused a kind of... happiness to spread through him, the likes of which he thought he had never felt before. Then, realising that they weren't the only ones in the classroom, yet unable to tear his eyes away from her to check whether or not the others had noticed, Severus had regained control over his expression. Snarling, he had ordered her back to work, hoping that she would break eye contact first, finding himself imprisoned by her eyes, completely unwilling to stop looking into those chocolate depths... they were so warm, so... sensual. He could have sworn that they were somehow darker than they seemed normally... was it possible that she felt the same tension he did? No. Of course not. "Granger!"

Severus regretted the loss of her eyes immediately. It took a surprising amount of exertion to turn away from her, to observe the others who were just starting to collect their ingredients. It was going to be a long lesson.

**Tell me what you think! ;)**


	5. Chapter 5

**Sorry for the longish wait! University is incredibly busy! But I made it extra long to compensate... :D Enjoy!**

Hermione breathed a sigh of relief as she finally bottled her potion. That lesson had been... intense. Although it had only been one and a half hours long, it had felt like much longer. She had been distracted, not focusing on her potion as she should have been, although it was still perfect at the end as she had been able to correct the small mistakes she had made while thinking of the strong presence she could feel at all times, mere metres away from her. Her heart rate had not slowed since the beginning of the lesson, the blush on her face hadn't receded and the heat in her groin had been a constant reminder of the irrational longing she felt for her potions master.

But was it really so irrational? She hadn't been able to keep herself from occasionally peeking up at him, feeling the need to know what he was doing at all times. And hadn't she sometimes caught him staring back at her, looking slightly confused, even discomposed when their eyes had met? He definitely wasn't being his usual, stoic, self...

She needed to understand him, needed to know what he was thinking! Why was he being so... fair? Of course, he was still his old, sneering, snarky self... but now he was like that to the Slytherins as well! And hadn't she caught him smiling at dinner the night before? Again her stomach twisted when she remembered who he had smiled at... one day, she promised herself, that smile would be directed at her.

"Time is up" Snape said sneering again, but somehow he sounded slightly relieved. "Hand in your potions now, as pitiable as they may be." Ginny, Dean, Pansy and Draco all packed their things as quickly as possible, handed him their potions and then almost scurried out of the room, the latter sending his former favourite teacher a confused, angry glance, before slamming the door shut behind him in frustration, not noticing that Hermione was still in the classroom.

Apparently, neither did Snape. He sat himself down as the sound of the slammed door still echoed around the room, and gave a deep sigh. Hermione knew this was her opportunity. She grabbed her bottle and slowly made her way to the front, her footsteps alerting the Professor of her approach, startling him slightly. "Miss Granger! What are you still doing here?" He wasn't snarling... why wasn't he snarling? He just looked surprised.

"Here's my potion sir." She waited for him to take it from her, and his fingers brushed hers lightly, shocking her with their softness and sending a spark straight to her crotch. Her knees almost buckled. She could have slapped herself for the ridiculous reaction she was having, but she simply couldn't help it. Snape didn't say anything, just sat there holding the bottle, until the usual glower on his face suddenly returned and he seemed to have remembered how to snarl. "Well?" he snapped. Hermione just turned around and slowly started walking towards the door, desperate to say something, anything, but unable to think of anything to say.

She had just reached the door, feeling his gaze prickling her neck, when she remembered why it was closed. "Sir", she said, turning around. Snape's eyes darted up to hers. "Why did you treat Malfoy like the rest of us today?" There was a long pause. Snape was glaring at her again, his lip twisted, showing the disdain he clearly felt at her impertinent question. She held his gaze bravely, refusing to back down, her heart beating wildly in both fear and anticipation. She needed to discover the true man that was Severus Snape. She needed to know how he had done what he had, how he had given his whole life to save the whole of the Wizarding community. She wanted to thank him for everything he had ever done for her. But there was something else, something more... she just wanted _him. _

Hermione stood there for several long moments, staring into the black eyes of her Professor, wishing she could see what was going on behind them. Eventually she sighed and realised that it was impossible, he would never open up to her. He still hadn't responded to her question. So she turned from him, about to leave when suddenly he cleared his throat. She didn't dare turn around. "I am many things, Miss Granger. But I don't have favourites. Favouring Slytherins and humiliating Gryffindors was necessary during the war. Now I'm free and I will teach the way I wish to."

Hermione stood there, shocked. He had answered her question, he had opened up to her just a tiny bit, and now she knew more about him, the real him. All those years, he hadn't been a complete prejudiced bastard! A bastard, yes, but a fair one. She quickly turned back to him, smiled and said "I knew it!" and then she left the classroom quickly, knowing she would spend many more hours that evening thinking on what had happened.

...

Severus had no idea what had just happened. The lesson had been pure torture. He had been able to concentrate on nothing but Hermione Granger, the way her bushy hair had gradually been released from her bun, twining itself around her neck, the way she kept biting down on her lower lip, pulling it into her mouth and then releasing it again, the way she would regularly peek up at him through her dark lashes, blushing furiously... it had been driving him completely crazy.

And then that question, that impertinent, curious and insightful question. He hadn't known what to say. He was angry at himself for the inappropriate thoughts he had been directing at her beautiful bum retreating from his classroom, he was angry at himself for being hard. But he did know that he wanted her to be curious about him, that he wanted her to understand his motivations. And so he had answered the question as honestly as possible. He had expected her to leave after he had spoken, he had not expected the brilliant smile that had graced her lips when she had turned back to face him and he had not expected the cryptic answer she had given before turning around once more and leaving the classroom, a tantalising wisp of hair the last part of her to disappear from his view.

Later that evening, Severus was once again sitting at the high table for dinner, pondering a certain bushy haired, chocolate eyed, Gryffindor. What had she meant with "I knew it!"? It didn't make sense... what had she known? Once again Professor Littleton was chattering away into his ear, but he managed to drown her out, realising that he didn't care if she noticed his inattention. His gaze, thoughts and emotions were all settled on Hermione Granger at the Gryffindor table. She seemed particularly animated that evening, apparently deep in conversation with her group. However, just as she had in his potions lesson, she kept shooting furtive glances towards him, each time her eyes meeting his, causing his heart to stutter and his groin to twitch. He wasn't embarrassed that she had caught him staring each time, after all, he had caught her looking. She clearly wasn't indifferent to him. What she felt for him, Severus had no idea, but he was determined to find out.

...

"Why is he staring at me?" Hermione kept thinking all evening. She could feel his gaze on her constantly, and whenever she brought up enough courage to look at him, their eyes had always locked. The conversation around her was mainly uninteresting, until at one point the focus turned to Snape. Lavender told the others that apparently he had rejected the position of Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher which he had been so obviously craving since they had begun school at Hogwarts. "But why would he even come back to Hogwarts?" Ron asked bewildered. "He's famous now... surely he could do anything with his life?" And so Hermione had ended up joining the speculative debate, always defending the Professor when someone would question his motives, but really, secretly, wishing she knew the answers to all those questions herself.

Perhaps she could find out the answers... he had, after all, answered her previous question about Malfoy... and clearly she interested him. Why else would he be watching her so incessantly? She was pleased to notice that he paid that prat Professor Littleton, absolutely no attention. Once again she forced herself to look at him again, although she knew that he would catch her looking. This time when their eyes met, Hermione refused to rapidly look down again, as she had every other time that evening. She stared back at him, again being overwhelmed by the bewildering physical reaction she always seemed to have to him. The longer their eyes were connected, the darker his seemed to become and the more aroused she was. She had no idea how long she sat like that, staring, blushing, almost hyperventilating, but it was suddenly too much for her. She abruptly stood up, her chair making a loud scraping sound on the floor, and she hurried out of the hall, painfully aware of the surprised looks, and look, she must be receiving.

Hermione burst into the grounds through a side door and leant against the wall, breathing heavily, trying to force her heart rate to slow and her stomach to uncoil. What was happening to her? The situation felt so surreal, she had only been back in Hogwarts for a day, and yet it felt like it had been weeks of furtive glances, blushes and finally passionate stares...

She had only just managed to calm herself, when a large shadow fell over her. She recognised immediately who it belonged to, and her breathing hitched. She looked up at him, her eyes locking with his, in what now felt like an age-old ritual, and she smiled. He had sought her out, and the irrational happiness this caused her was clear on her face.

And then, with absolutely no warning, his mouth was on hers and his hands were on her arms, pinning her to the wall. His lips tugged at hers, his tongue explored her own and when she let out a loud gasp of pleasure and want, he groaned into her mouth. And then, as suddenly as he had appeared, he was gone, leaving her gasping and aroused, leaning against the wall for the support her suddenly weak knees desperately needed.

**Please, please, please review! Each one makes me happy and inspires me to continue, thank you everyone who has already done so!**


	6. Chapter 6

_Miss Granger,_

_I would like to apologise for my irrational and inappropriate behaviour this evening. It was unprofessional and, I assure you, it will not be repeated. I hope you will forget the incident as soon as possible._

_SS_

There. That would have to do. Severus sat there a while, a frown etched deep on his face. Finally he sighed deeply, stood up and tied the scroll to the small owl he kept in his chambers. He didn't know what to do, what to think. The kiss had been incredible, perfect. He had never felt such passion in his life. He had not been treated with such passion ever before. And to think he was destroying all that by sending the stupid letter. But he had to, it was imperative that he stop what was going on immediately. She was his student. She was twenty years younger than him. He would be taking advantage of her youth, her innocence. Merlin, what would Dumbledore think if he knew of his deeply improper feelings for a student?

Severus tried to distract himself from his dark thoughts. He sat at his desk with a pile of essays he had to mark, but his mind kept wondering to Hermione... her first name in his mind felt perfectly natural to him. When did that happen? He knew that she returned his feelings- to some extent at least. Her eyes had been so full of heat when they had stared at each other in the dining hall, and she had been oh so responsive to his kiss, to his touch. It had been his body's response to the gasp of need and want that had escaped her during the kiss that had pulled him out of his haze of arousal and intense pleasure. He had suddenly realised that he was molesting a student in public, where anyone could have seen them. Not only that, but he had her pressed, almost violently, against a wall, and he had been so close to losing complete control, ripping off her clothes and taking her then and there...

He groaned, once again painfully aroused. He had to end this, he had to forget her, it was just so wrong... but, Gods, he didn't want to forget her. He had never felt this way before, not even for Lily... and didn't he deserve some kind of happiness, after all he had done for the world? But it was too late, the letter was sent. And it was for the best. He was a teacher and she was a student; there had to be a respectful distance between them.

...

Hermione laid there, the letter scrunched up in her hands. It had been a physical blow to her stomach, making her feel sick, angry and depressed, all at the same time. How could he expect her, want her, to forget the soul wrenching kiss they had shared? It had truly been earth shattering for her. She had never been kissed that way before, had never been made to feel that way before. Kissing Krum had felt new, strange and was sometimes even unpleasant. Kissing Ron had felt good at first, had even caused a tingling in her stomach, but that had all stopped after the excitement of the war was over and she had realised that he wasn't what she wanted, what she needed. Kissing Severus had literally changed her world. She had been consumed with desire. She still was, she thought. She had completely forgotten her surroundings, her _public _surroundings. All she had known, all she had felt in that moment was him, his warmth, his body and his mouth... oh Merlin, that perfect, warm, harsh mouth of his that had driven her completely crazy with want.

And then he had sent her that letter. That cruel, cold letter that had dismissed the beautiful, heated moment they had shared as an irrational, inappropriate lapse of professionalism. How dare he? She knew he felt the same, she had seen the heat in his eyes, the same desire and longing that she knew was evident in her own. And now he had promised that the kiss would never be repeated. Never. He wanted her to forget the "incident" as soon as possible.

Well if that's what he wanted, then that's what he would get.

...

Severus felt so confused. He had woken up, after very little sleep, worried about her reaction to his letter, wondering what she would do. And he had found the answer to that: nothing. She had ignored him all through breakfast, had not glanced in his direction once. She had not looked miserable or disappointed, but had seemed decidedly cheerful, joining in with the general conversation and laughter around her.

They had passed each other in the corridor; she had not acknowledged his presence, not missing a beat in her conversation with the Weasley girl. The fact that he clearly affected her so little twisted his stomach into a tight knot. Of course he didn't watch her or acknowledge her either, but he was constantly aware of her, who she was talking to and what she was doing.

And now it was time for another potion's lesson with her. Surely she couldn't ignore him in his very classroom, could she?

Apparently she could.

...

Hermione was bent over her potion, concentrating furiously. She could feel his gaze resting on her but she refused to look up. She had successfully ignored him all day. It had been incredibly difficult: every time she had seen him, her heart had leaped and she had almost forgotten about the letter and had been so close to locking eyes with him and smiling at him again... But no. He wanted her to forget it. He had made it clear that that amazing kiss wouldn't be repeated in the future. And she was going to show him what that meant.

She was about to leave the classroom at the end of the lesson, after dropping her bottled potion on his desk without even glancing at him, when she heard his deep voice, almost growling her name "Miss Granger!". Hermione whirled around, angry now.

"What?" she snapped, rudely, glaring at him, ignoring the way her heart thudded, responding to the eye contact they were making for the first time that day.

"Stop ignoring me." he demanded, snarling, glaring at her and uncharacteristically ignoring her rudeness. Something within her snapped.

"How. Dare. You." Hermione snarled, slowly making her way towards his desk. "First, you stare at me all evening. Then you kiss me like I've never been kissed before. Against the wall" she added, ignoring his shocked expression. "And then you send me that letter. You told me that you would never kiss me again. You told me to forget the kiss. And so, I do what you say, and now you have the nerve to tell me to stop ignoring you?" Hermione was bright red and shaking with the anger she felt. She had closed the distance between them, her hands on his desk, leaning towards him, breathing heavily, her eyes sparking dangerously. Their faces were so close.

"Work out what you want!" she snarled. Then she whirled around and marched out of his classroom without looking back, and slammed the door behind her, secretly pleased with her exit.

**Hehe, I enjoyed writing that one! Review!**


	7. Chapter 7

Hermione was thoroughly enjoying herself. It had been three days since her heated confrontation with Snape, three days since she had spoken with him and three days since she had shamelessly started flirting with Seamus Finnigan. She had decided it was time to change tactic. Clearly there was something between herself and the surly potions Professor, and clearly, she thought, remembering the dreams that plagued her nightly, she wanted him. She wanted to explore this connection that made her constantly aware of his presence and his eyes on her. And so, she had decided, jealousy was the answer. She would have felt guiltier about using Seamus so casually, had she not known how many hearts he had broken over the years... two birds with one stone, she thought, slightly evilly.

And it was working, she realised gleefully. Snape had been watching her even more than he had been previously, he had been grouchier in his lessons, glaring at her constantly, and Seamus had even confessed to her, utterly confused, that he thought the war hero was out to kill him. She was affecting him. The thought made her feel euphoric, causing a grin to spread across her face, coincidentally at the exact same time as when passing Snape in the corridor.

...

The insufferable know-it-all was driving him crazy. Severus knew exactly what it was she was doing, flirting with the dunderheaded half-wit to make him jealous. Unfortunately, knowing what she was doing did not hinder her success in rendering him absolutely green with envy. Every flirtatious glance, every swish of her incredible hair, every laugh that escaped those lips, all of which were directed at _him_, twisted the knife in his belly that bit further.

Seeing her in his class room every day was torture. Having her sitting across from him, merely two or three metres away from him for two hours at a time, with sweat from the heat and effort trickling down her neck, getting lost in her curls, and that damned, luscious lip of hers always captured between her perfect teeth, was slowly shredding the rest of his self control to pieces.

Once again his cock twitched at the mere memory of her state in his previous lesson. He was in a corridor full of _students _for Merlin's sake! At that precise moment, Hermione Granger rounded the corner, accompanied by none other than Seamus Finnigan, sporting a gorgeous, sincere grin.

Severus snapped, turning around on his heel after she had passed him, and silently following her and Seamus down a less populated corridor. He had almost closed in on them when he shot a quick, silent spell at Seamus' feet, causing him to trip, and simultaneously pulled Hermione into an empty classroom, leaving Seamus alone in the corridor, utterly confused as to where his companion had suddenly disappeared to.

Severus didn't care about the fool outside in the corridor, he only cared about the woman he had pressed against the door, with a shocked expression on her face, breathing heavily, causing her breasts to press deliciously against his ribs. He pushed his erection against her abdomen, and groaned, not once taking his eyes from hers. Had he not been so aroused, Severus could have laughed when Hermione's eyes closed in ecstasy and a small whimper escaped her. She pushed her body close against his and he slowly started lowering his head down to hers, stopping when their lips were only two inches apart. "What do you think you're doing with that idiot, Granger?" he half whispered, half growled. His words didn't seem to register, as she stared into his eyes through her eye lashes, and she slowly began moving her lips towards his.

"Kiss me" she sighed, pressing against his erection, causing a deep moan to escape him. Unable to help himself, Severus smashed his mouth onto Hermione's, almost violently, forcing his tongue into her mouth, teeth nipping at her lips...

Well, that would have been one way to do it, Severus thought that evening at dinner, still watching the insufferable Granger girl while she continued flirting with Finnigan. Instead of near raping her against a door, Severus had come up with a better plan. And with one final glare in Granger's direction, he turned around in his seat, and flashed Professor Littleton a smile, catching her so by surprise that she choked on what she was eating and burst into a large coughing fit, drawing the attention of most of the great hall, including the Gryffindor table, just as he had intended, Severus thought smugly. With an act of great concern, he put one hand on the Professor's arm and one hitting her gently on the back, until she had recovered. Of course, she was consumed with gratitude, fluttering her eyelashes, thanking him profusely and sending him coy smiles. Severus reciprocated with as much warmth as he could muster, completely gratified when he noticed Hermione staring at the head table angrily. Two could play at the same game...

...

What did that bastard think he was doing? Hermione was fuming. Clearly he had decided to do to her what she had been doing to him. Knowing this did not make her feel any better about it. Just the fact that his gaze was fixed on that _woman_ and not on her, made her mad. The addition of his speaking to her, with that deep, velvety voice of his and the smile he was sporting, one he had yet to direct at Hermione, made her absolutely fucking crazy. This had to stop. Surely they had both made their points; she had proved his letter wrong. The "incident" hadn't been irrational. Clearly they both had feelings for each other; in fact surely it was them staying apart from each other that was irrational?

Hermione knew she was right. She also knew that she wanted a relationship with him, a real one, not just a series of passionate encounters against various walls of the school. With that thought in mind, she turned around to Seamus and said flatly "Seamus, I'm not interested in you, I never will be. Sorry if you misunderstood", ignored his shocked expression, threw a last glance towards Severus, and left the Great Hall.

...

As soon as she had left, Severus stopped smiling at the pathetic creature next to him, and turned away from her. He was surprised at the confused and irritated expression on Seamus' face... surely Hermione hadn't said anything unwelcome to him? With this in mind, he left the Great Hall, not realising, or caring about, the state of extreme confusion he had left the new professor in. When he arrived at his chambers, he took off his heavy cloak and instead changed into a dark blue jumper, picked up a book he had been reading, and sat down in his comfortable armchair. His mind, however, would not remain concentrated on the book. While the look of anger on Hermione's face had initially been amusing, Severus found that he wasn't as satisfied about it as he should be. He didn't want to play games, he didn't want to make her feel angry, he just wanted to be _with_ her. He had had enough of conflict in the past few years, enough to last him a lifetime. He wanted something steady, something he could feel safe with, something that didn't cause him endless turmoil.

...

Following her revelation, Hermione decided it was time to visit Severus, to actually speak to him, instead of simply making eyes at him between short encounters of actual interaction, fuelled by passion or anger. She decided to dress modestly, in jeans and a light brown jumper.

As she left the common room, she felt herself becoming more nervous. Sure, he had seemed angry when she had flirted with Seamus, and he had kissed her, but what if she had misinterpreted his feelings? What if it only was a casual fling he was looking for? But that didn't seem like him, especially as that directly contradicted the cold letter he had sent her. The only thing she could do was speak to him, honestly and openly.

By the time Hermione had reached the dungeons, she was shivering from the cold and her own nervousness. It was then that she realised that she didn't even know where his chambers were. She decided the best thing to do was to go to the potions classroom; surely he had set up wards there. As she stood there, outside the classroom, cold and anxious, she began to wonder if this had really been such a good idea. Hadn't he made it clear that the kiss had been a mistake? He hadn't even tried to talk to her since the confrontation...

She had just turned to go back to the Gryffindor tower, when a door appeared in the wall opposite the potions classroom. Suddenly Severus Snape was standing there, with an unreadable expression on his face, his dark eyes simply staring at her. She realised he wasn't wearing his usual robes, instead he looked much less intimidating, in a comfortable looking, dark blue jumper that seemed to complement his skin, which appeared so soft to Hermione.

They stood there, just staring at each other for several moments. Hermione finally made a move, and slowly began walking towards him. He just stood there, stock-still. She finally reached him, her heart beating loudly, and still he did not move. She slowly reached her hands up to his shoulders and raised on her tip toes, taking a moment to look into his eyes for some sign of his feelings, before giving it up as a hopeless cause, closing her own eyes and gently pressing her lips against his.

**I'm sorry it took so long to update! I kind of lost my inspiration for a while, but I'm definitely going to continue and finish it! Thank you for all of your lovely reviews, I always enjoy reading them :)**


	8. Chapter 8

Severus was shocked to find her standing outside of his chambers so late in the evening, looking absolutely perfect in her muggle outfit. He didn't move, merely took in every detail of her form. She had tortured him for three days, playing around with Finnigan; she had to make the next move. His eyes locked with hers as she finally did move, taking slow steps towards him, causing the knot in the pit of his stomach to tighten, almost unbearably, and his heart to start droning in his ears. He didn't let any of this show. He just stood there. He just stood there when she was standing right in front of him. He just stood there when she slowly raised her hands to his shoulder. He just stood there when she pressed her lips, ever so gently, oh so softly, against his own.

And finally, finally, Severus moved. With a slowness, a gentleness, that belied his desperation for her, his hands moved to her back, stroking along it and up into her hair, finally allowing his fingers to tangle into the wild hair that had been driving him crazy for the past few days. His lips moved just as softly over her own, before his tongue moved forward, stroking languidly along her lips before meeting her own tongue in a slow dance around her mouth. By this time she had curled her hands around his neck, one stroking through his own hair, pressing her body as close to his as possible, clearly craving his closeness as much as he did hers.

Realising that they were still standing in the cold dungeon corridor, Severus slowly moved away from her lips, missing the intimate contact instantly, despite the spark of pleasure and pride that flashed through him at the disappointed sigh that escaped Hermione. He stared warmly into her eyes for a moment, a soft smile on his face, before linking her hand in his and leading her back into his chambers.

...

Hermione's heart was fluttering madly as he guided her by the hand into his chambers. She couldn't believe what was happening. She didn't know what she had expected, but it definitely hadn't been for him to reciprocate her kiss as gently as he had done. Or for him to smile at her. That had been the first time his rare smile had been directed at her, and it had made her heart thud almost painfully. His face had lit up, seeming almost youthful, even kind. His normal snarling demeanour had disappeared, and as alluring as she usually found it, this new side to Severus Snape was incredibly attractive.

The feel of his large, rough, warm hands surrounding and pulling at hers made her feel both extremely safe and extremely aroused at the same time. She tried to push the latter feeling into the recesses of her mind, knowing that she had come here to talk to him, not to spend the night in his passionate embrace, as unbelievably tempting as that did sound...

However, all thought of any impending discussion left her mind when she found herself standing opposite him in his tastefully decorated sitting room, still holding his hand. The second her eyes flicked back to his own, which were no longer expressionless, but dark with heat and arousal, her own desire came back to the forefront of her mind in full force, taking over her body completely. She gave a low, frustrated moan and launched herself at him, initiating contact for the second time in a matter of minutes. Once again, he matched her intensity exactly. Having imitated her softness before, he now responded to her passion, practically growling when her lips met his, answering the harsh thrust of her tongue with a harsher thrust of his own, and digging his fingers into the flesh of her thighs when she hooked one of her legs around his thighs, pushing herself into his obvious erection.

Suddenly he spun them around, pressing Hermione onto her back on the couch, covering her body with his own, without breaking the kiss. He was straddling her, one knee either side of her hips, bending over her body and holding her head in his hands, kissing her fiercely. Her own hands were tangled in his hair, her body arching, attempting to fill the gap between their upper bodies. Failing to do so, she changed tactic and slid one of her hands from his hair to his chest, caressing his hard muscles almost reverently while sucking on his tongue, causing him to hiss out loud and buck his hips into hers in an uncontrollable motion of desire. His own hands took a similar path to hers, trailing down her neck, along her collarbone and then finally arriving at the top of her breasts. The heat in her body was almost unbearable. Hermione moaned and arched up again in encouragement, and Severus was cupping one of her perfect breasts in one swift motion...

The new level of intimacy caused Hermione to suddenly awake from her haze of desire and weakly, and with very little conviction, push against his chest and mumble "Stop, stop" against his swollen mouth.

...

Severus felt like he was in heaven. Not only did he have the beautiful, intelligent witch of his dreams underneath him, but she was kissing him with just as much passionate abandon as he was kissing her. He had never felt such desire before, and had never received so much in return. Everything was perfect until she muttered those two awful words, "stop, stop".

Thinking he was doing something wrong, that she had changed her mind, that she had just been playing him, Severus jumped off of her immediately, standing tall and stiffly a good two metres away from the couch, his face closed off and expressionless once again, contradicting the tumult of desire, confusion and hurt going on inside of him. Those had been the first spoken words of their encounter.

Hermione looked confused. She sat up slowly, looking dazed and breathing heavily. She looked up at him with a questioning expression, lifting her hand to gently touch her swollen lips with her fingertips. It was a beautiful sight to behold. She didn't look as if his kisses, his touches had been unwelcome. Then why had she told him to stop? Why had her hands pressed against his chest, a clear symbol of rejection?

"I came, I came down here to talk" were the next words to shakily leave her mouth, as if she were unsure that her voice would still be working. "Severus, what are you doing over there?" His name on her lips for the first time was almost his undoing, his emotionless facade wavering, then returning again, still unsure of her feelings towards what had just happened. Slowly she stood up, seeming a bit unstable, he observed smugly... clearly he had had an effect on her. In an imitation of the beginning of their meeting that evening, she slowly walked towards his unmoving figure. Again, she lifted her hands to his shoulders, standing close to him. "Severus" she said again, sending shivers down his spine, "I want you. Stopping you from kissing me, from touching me, was the hardest thing I have done since defeating Voldemort." The fact that it was her speaking somehow prevented the shock of pain which normally ran through him at the mention of the snake's name. "But I don't just want your body," she continued, "I want you, I want all of you. I want to get to know you. I want a relationship with you. I came down here tonight, not to sleep with you, but to tell you this. I need this... _thing _between us to be more than just a physical relationship. If you don't want that I understand."

Severus was shocked at what he had just heard. Not only had she said exactly those things which he had hoped to hear, but she had spoken aloud the very thoughts, the very feelings which had occupied his own mind before she had arrived. But before he could respond, she had already turned and started moving towards the door, away from him.

In two long strides, he caught up with her, catching her hand, and pulled her close, her head tucked against his chest, and his arms wrapped around her back. She immediately reciprocated in kind, enclosing him in her own grasp. "I want all of you too," Severus whispered against her head, before breathing in deeply, realising for the first time that she smelt of almonds and vanilla.

**Two updates in two days to apologise for the long wait over the Christmas holidays! I hope you enjoyed them, and please please please review!**


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